Haunted Pfister Hotel

Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin was the brainchild of opulent German immigrant Guido Pfister, along with his son, Charles. In 1871, he acquired the land situated at the intersection of Wisconsin Street and Jefferson Street, with the idea of opening an extravagantly grand European-style “palace for the people” or “Grand Hotel of the West” as a means of flaunting the city’s growing wealthy status. Just 12 years later, a massive inferno completely wiped out the city’s current luxury hotel. As luck would have it, this left the area in dire need of a new social and civic site to congregate, so the Pfister men pounced. However, lead entrepreneur Guido would not survive past 1889, leaving his son; daughter; and business partners to complete the project. Officially designed by renowned architect Henry Koch in the style of Romanesque Revival, Pfister Hotel officially opened to the public on May 1, 1893, and cost just over $1 million. This new lodging and gathering place became one of America’s first all-electric and completely fireproof hotels that would feature its own power plant, as well as the world’s first individual room thermostat controls. Inside the building, Charles was able to portray his lifelong passion for art with the world’s largest Victorian art collection owned by a hotel. After changing hands over the next several decades, the hotel was purchased in 1962 by Ben Marcus, who restored the historic building and added a modern 23-story tower. In its heyday, Pfister hosted nearly every U.S. President and many other A-list celebrities. In addition, a host of professional athletes, especially baseball players, have stayed there. To this very day, several past and current MLB stars have actively gone to great lengths to avoid being housed within these walls, due to a number of haunted claims and paranormal experiences that have traumatized them. To put scared visitors at ease, it’s often playfully suggested that any lingering spirit belongs to original founder Charles Pfister, who’s merely checking in to ensure world-class hospitality.